Archive for February, 2009

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worse

Friday, February 27th, 2009

He is there, still, amid the elaborate stitching, within the cold wooden cocoon. Black surrounds him, sorrow chokes the attendees and memories dart from one to the other like fish behind glass. It is like so many others, but different.

This is better than the last and the next. This was expected, prepared for and I can remain relatively unfazed. The last was sudden, untimely and shocking. The next will be equally foreseeable but I will not be distant. It will be worse.

The last was a boy, only a few years older than I at the time, a victim of a traffic accident. We knew each other as tertiaries. His humor and presence impressed me most. He was too young, too vibrant, too impressive.

I was there for others, not myself. I wanted to remember him as he was, laughing and sarcastic but it was not about me. They were closer to him and I did not feel I should let them go alone. That day was enjoyable, sad and great.

This is a man past what medics predicted. He remained, a different version of himself but there until only days ago. His passing was not shocking but equally sad. I did not know him, nor do I.

I am able to be the distraction, the support. Again, not for me, but for her. She is stronger than I but may need me so I am here. I am not caught up in it, not a part of the darting pasts. The next will be worse.

The memories will be mine. I will be there for me. I will be the one carved out and cavernous.

He is not famous, he is not rich and he is brilliant. He is a janitor, an eldest, a former hunter, a comedian. a mentor, a strong man, a teddy bear and a proud grandfather, like so many others, but different.

When it is time for the next, he will have passed. It will be worse.

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speeches: a comparison

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

President Obama threw out some orating last night. Then Governor Jindal of Lousiana vomited a response. (Videos here.) It was a war of words, Obama (Mike Tyson) vs. Jindal (Steve Urkel). (90s sitcom reference; what?)

Obama’s speech was strong, poised, articulate, blah, blah, yawn. He sounded like he always does and harped on all the points Americans hate. Personal responsibility, fiscal responsibility, general responsibility and peace.

He did mention how America should be the leader again, which just reminded everyone how far we need to go to keep up with most others (buzzkill). There was an outline for new jobs and tax cuts to most families and boring.

S’all lame and redundant so the real fun was in Jindal’s response. He was down-home, barely-educated with a side of wishes-he-were-a-war-hero. He dropped how we’ve beaten everything from slavery (we held on longer than most) to the Russians (who crumbled from within).

To top off the parade of clichés, he said it all in a voice that made me feel seven (or somewhat mentally incapable). His devotion to a flawed economic system and blind eye toward real turmoil borders on impressive. (His thoughts on avoiding beauracratic nightmares in health care alone prove he’s never had an ailment more serious than a headache.)

One quote stands out though: “After hurricane Katrina, we reinvented the New Orleans school system.” They dismantled the public system, replacing it with private facilities that are generally cost prohibitive. Then they instituted exclusive scholarship programs. (read: capitalistic segregation.)

I’m for funding schools and education but I’m not for a child being brought up in a for-profit environment. This would put decisions in the hands of those that have already corroded our health care and decomposed our financial security. That’s irresponsible, regressive and ineffective.

Or, put another way, everything Mr. Obama professes against. Him using it in his response is laughable but his audience wasn’t listening. His audience never made it past the kindergarten-teacher-like cadance and World War references.

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corporatist encouraged looting

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

With an unexpected trip and no vacation, external storage because a necessity. This because the network infrastructure here is as modern as deerskin capes. (Though they’re working on it. ’02, here we come!)

So yesterday, I took a drive to Circuit City. I’d been there Saturday. It’s a gaping wound. Half the store is taped off, empty and cavernous. The rest is picked through, left for dead.

For those confused, Circuit City fell to interweb competition. (Best Buy, slightly larger and safe for the elderly, is still flailing.) They’ve been left to sell off all their stock. Essentially, they’re being looted while their soon-to-be-former (surprisingly jovial) employees watch.

The deals aren’t awesome (similar to interweb) but the clientele is far more entertaining. In the check-out line, the man in front of me had apparently dug through his closet for a blue/red pair of Zoobas to honor the occasion. A woman in dingy sweatpants briefly considered a $500 television.

I didn’t realize shopping at Circuit City was cost prohibitive until the barrier eroded. (I picked up a 400GB external for about $120, in-hand; not bad.) Crazy, in a way.

Thanks, capitalism, for your omnipresent brilliance. I’m almost willing to look past the skewed wealth distribution, mass destitution and prevalence of generational exploitation. Almost.

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academy awards rehash ’09

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

If you didn’t watch, I’ll be ruining the ending for you. Somehow I doubt you care. Below are my predictions and the winners and why I’m still right even if I’m wrong. (Ego!)

Animated Feature
Predicted: WALL-E
Winner: WALL-E
First, Jack Black, you are astounding. Great movie, great story and hated by the Right. It could do no wrong.

Original Song
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire – “Jai Ho”
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire – “Jai Ho”
This was a lock. Especially when you consider the emotional impact and plot-driving force of it. Could pretty much bank on Slumdog the entire night.

Editing
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Intensity, dynamism and heart. That’s what Dickens brought to the party and he brought more than anyone else. It’s not an important award as far as E! is concerned but it’s insanely important to film as an art. No one cares.

Cinematography
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Gorgeous film. Stiller’s rendition of Pheonix was almost better though. And then the guy thanked everyone he’s worked with for twenty years so that was… a cop out.

Adapted Screenplay
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
This, like so many of the other categories where Slumdog is nominated, was almost a lock. (Full disclosure: I didn’t read or see any of the works adapted. Still, I’m a genius.)

Original Screenplay
Predicted: In Bruges
Winner: Milk
Ugh. Can this movie get dry-humped further? The story was awesome, yes. The events and plot and acting was stunning, yes. The politics were topical, yes. But the gorgeous symmetry of Bruges should have sold it. (It didn’t, apparently.) @SlashFilm‘s tweet said it all.

Directing
Predicted: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Winner: Danny Boyle
He deserved it. (As he does consistently.) That is all.

Supporting Actress
Predicted: Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)
Winner: Penelope Cruz
Them announcing this one first was far more surprising than the actual winner. Still, with her performance, Tomei did a better job. The character was deeper and more intriguing but I guess Cruz winning just goes to show you… going crazy is second only to a mental/physical handicap when it comes to the gold statue. (Ask Angelina Jolie.) Tomei, you (and your nipples) should have taken it.

Supporting Actor
Predicted: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Winner: Heath Ledger
‘Cause… duh. I mean, he was outstanding and it’s posthumous. The Academy can’t resist. The speech was poignant and beautiful.

Actress
Predicted: Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Winner: Kate Winslet
BOOM! She was up against a bunch of nobodies and first-timers with one woman who already has a few so the competition was thin but she still earned it. The speech was shakey but that’s understandable after so many nominations that came of nothing. Cheers, Kate, you’re gorgeous.

Actor
Predicted: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Winner: Sean Penn
Penn was solid. I take nothing away from his performance but Rourke was better. Politics won over performance. Congrats, Penn, but, Rourke, you were robbed. The speech was just as political as you’d expect but at least he didn’t droll on and on and on…

Picture
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
This was like the safe Ed Norton stored the gold in from Italian Job. The movies were good but Slumdog was great. Bringing everyone up and having so many there was epic. It’s heart-warming and jaw-dropping. Unreal.

All in all, it was a lame movie season. Really, as you can tell from the above, Slumdog, was about the only movie you need see. That goes to show you how small the crop of quality film was. (Yes, I’m looking at you Tropic Thunder.)

This was written during the awards show and just after. I don’t have clips of certain segments for that reason. For your own enjoyment, find Ben Stiller’s reenactment of Joaquin Pheonix.

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friday free for all

Friday, February 20th, 2009

… Yesterday, I attended Social Media Breakfast (MSP). It was quite enjoyable but for it being mostly about SXSW, which I can’t go to this year. I followed that up with a tutorial meeting on Google Analytics (which I’ve been using for three years) then a tutorial on a possible project routing program that’ll probably be shot down by those that don’t understand it. I’ll count it as a super productive and ultimately worthless day.

… We need to start electing leaders. The bickering among politicians and their constant skirting of responsibility is starting to get irritating.

… I’ve decided to do something with my portfolio. I will be building a site using Joomla! and will have posts like this one moved copied over there. (Eventually, they may be there exclusively.) I do this for those that would rather me not talk about social media or the implications and theories therein.

In other words, all you with no idea what I just said.

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oscar predictions ’09

Friday, February 20th, 2009

… Because the big show is Sunday, I need to get the predictions out there. I mean, only amateurs wait ’til afterward to extol their brilliance. I can extol at the drop of a hat. (::hat drops to floor::)

Titles in italics will probably be winners. Titles in bold are ones I’m pulling for. *s are by ones I haven’t seen.

ANIMATED FEATURE

ORIGINAL SONG

  • Slumdog Millionaire – “Jai Ho”
  • Slumdog Millionaire – “O Saya”
  • WALL-E – “Down to Earth”

EDITING

CINEMATOGRAPHY

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Doubt
  • Frost/Nixon *
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

DIRECTING

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

SUPPORTING ACTOR

ACTRESS

ACTOR

PICTURE

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milk
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

I doubt I’ll be as victorious as last year (sarcasm) but one can hope I’ll catch a few. It wasn’t a good season (tons of repeats on here) but the ones listed were fairly solid. (As you can tell from the above, I’m quite partial to Slumdog Millionaire.)

I know you can’t wait ’til the recap to fully appreciate my genius. I know it. (Delusion is the first step toward success, right?)

In case you think you’re smarter than I am (and probably are), pick a category or two and lay out your prediction in the comments. We’ll see on Monday who emerges with the prize.*

* There is no prize.

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Posted in chasm reviews, friday free for all, media | Comments Off

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